Don't Let Being a Female Hold You Back

Yes, you're a female. Yes, you may be 5'3" like me. Yes, it can be hard to get people, especially boys, to listen to you give instructions or orders, but YOU CAN.

I am the Student Manager of approximately 75 college students at my college and at times it can definitely be challenging to get people to take me seriously. Coming from an all girls high school that was very focused on women empowerment, I do not let being a female hold me back, and I do not let anyone's ignorant comments or attitudes set me back.

Being female is not a set back, it is a strength - SO USE IT!

Being a (Girl) Boss

Being a boss can be a difficult responsibility to handle for anyone. As a female, I constantly face people disregarding my instructions with ignorant comments such as: "Oh wow you're in a bad mood, is it that time of the month?" or addressing me as "the forms lady."

My advice to any (girl) bosses out there is just be confident in yourself and continue to be the leader that you know you are. You were given this position for a reason, and don't let anyones ignorant comments drag you down or set you back.

Additionally, if you feel like any one specific person may be bashing you or taking things too far, definitely reach out to a coworker or respected /trusted person and talk about what options you may have and steps you can take going forward to make the work environment one that is best for everyone.

Balancing Being a Boss and Being a Friend

It is important to remember that even though you may consider co-workers your friend, they are still your co-workers and you want to make sure you don't do or say anything that could damage your position in the workplace. As a boss and person of higher power, people may try to get information out of you that is inappropriate and just not their place to know, so be mindful of that.

Additionally, as fun as it may seem to be able to work with your friends, please keep in mind that bringing a friend into your workplace may not always go in your favor. If you are going to bring on someone you are friends with, I would really really REALLY think about it before you do so.

Being a boss can be a tricky position. While you want to be authoritative and have people respect you and listen to what you tell them to do and need them to do, you also don't want to be a jerk. As Michael Scott says: "Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy – both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." (Season 2, Episode 6) Every boss wants that perfect equilibrium where you are stern but also friendly, but you won't always have that - and that is okay. Every relationship with your co-workers and employees is going to be different and that's okay. Just remember that at the end of the day you are the boss and as much as you may want to be friendly or friends with your employees, being their boss always comes first- for everyone's sake.

Balancing Work and Social Life 

Being a boss or just having any job in general can be very hard to manage. Especially in today's world where everyone can be accessed anywhere, anytime and expected to answer (almost) instantaneously - it can be hard to balance your work life and your social life, or just being and doing you.

Especially with being a boss, it can feel so stressful and overwhelming to receive work texts and calls about something that came up unexpectedly while on vacation with family but on the contrary it is equally as stressful and overwhelming to put away your phone or computer for a few hours, knowing that something might happen and they might need something from you.

I find myself quite often answering work emails and texts while in class and then I get frustrated with myself because I should be paying better attention to my class, but then also I know that people are relying on me and need things from me and that is also important.

At the end of the day, you need to make boundaries with yourself. Set aside time to ignore or put away your phone and live your life. Even though you're the boss, you are still human and you still need to live your life and be you. It is okay to not always answer instantaneously and it is okay to take time to just be you.